Open-toe shoe



June 10,1947. RMALlNG Y 2,421,796 1 OPEN-TOE SHOE Filed Aug. 28. 1946 Patente cl June 10, 1947 UNITED. STATES PATENT l OFFICE OPEN-TOE SHOE Boy Maling, Chestnut Hill, Mass. Application August 28, 1946, Serial No. 693,499

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in open-toe shoes and more particularly to barefoot sandals wherein the toes of the wearer are exposed.

Quite generally, women and girls who wear open-toe shoes without stockings or socks em: ploy nail polish on their toe nails and the nails require occasional retouching with polish to keep them looking trim and well cared for.

It is an object of the invention to embody in the structure of open-toe shoes and sandals a conveniently available supply of nail polish which will be ever ready for quick and unobtrusive re-touching of toe nails whose polish y have become h pped or otherwise marred. I provide a receptacle for polish, or for any other desired substance, which constitutes a structural element of the shoe or sandal and which also may serve as a decorative ornament contributing to the general attractiveness of the shoe or sandal. Both shoes may be similarly equipped with a receptacle, and one receptacle, if desired, may hold nail polish and the other a nail polish remover.

Another object is to provide a shoe or sandal having as a structural element thereof a receptacle which may be variously shaped to maintain one or more parts of the shoe or sandal in proper relative rleation to a foot therein and which may hold nail polish, or other fluid, conveniently available for use while the shoe or sandal continues on the foot.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve the structure and utility of shoes and more especially open-toe shoes and sandals.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the forepart of an open-toe shoe embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the shoe of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the forepart of another open-toe shoe embodying a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the shoe of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the forepart of a bare-foot sandal type of shoe comprising two platform sole elements l0, l2 secured together in superimposed relation with an outer sole I4 surfacing the under side of platform element l2.

An open-work type of upper includes crossstraps l6, 18 for engaging over the forepart of a foot, slidably maintained in spaced relation by the instep strap 20.

The toes of a foot are indicated by dotted lines 2 in both Figs. 1 and 2, and the ball-like element 22 is adapted to engage over the toes of the foot exerting slight pressure thereon to maintain the engaged toes against the platform element 10. The element 22 is secured to one end of a flexible element 24 Whose other end is anchored to the platform element H1 at a location to permit the flexible element to pass between adjacent toes as the element is swung from its dotted position of Fig. 1 to its full-line toe-engaging position.

Ball-like element 22 is hollow so that it can hold a supply of nail polish or the like, and an access opening therein is removably closed by the cap 26 which may have the applicator brush 28 thereon, normally immersed in the liquid in element 22.

Assuming that the toe-nails need an application of polish, the operation may be quickly performed while the shoe remains on the foot and while element 22 continues in engagement with two adjacent toes, with the toes holding the element 22 with the access opening upward. Hence, the cap 26 may be removed without danger of spilling polish, and polish may be applied to the exposed nails and to exposed parts of nails which may be engaged by element 22, painting around element 22 so that said element will not engage and mar freshly applied polish.

In Figs. 3 and 4, a cylindrical type of polish receptacle is indicated at 30 with an access opening which is closed by the cap 32 at one end of the receptacle. In this case, the forepart of the upper is formed of a series of flexible elements 34 which extend across from side to side with their opposite ends secured to the platform element 36, and another series or group of similar flexible elements 38 formed into a slip-knot at 40 around the elements 34 with their opposite ends secured to the platform element 36 at opposite sides thereof and forwardly of the elements 34. Receptacle 30 is engaged in the slip-knot 40 of the elements 38 along with the elements 34 and serves to maintain the slip-knot and the elements 34 in proper shape for engaging over the forepart of a foot tomaintain the foot gently pressed against platform element 36. The ends of receptacle 30 project beyond the slip-knot 4|] so that the capped access opening is readily accessible by tilting the foot and shoe on its side to bring the capped end of receptacle uppermost. Then the cap, which may have an applicator brush thereon, may be removed and polish applied to the toe-nails, all of which will be fully uncovered in this type of shoe. If desired, howver, the receptacle 3!] may he slipped out of the slip-knot 40 when polish is to be applied, and be slipped back into the slip-knot after the operation has been completed.

It will be obvious that the receptacles 22, 30 may be of various shapes and sizes, and of any suitable materials. Hence they may be a means of providing distinctive character to footwear as well as serving their structural and utilitarian functions.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a shoe, a base part for engaging under the foot of a wearer, an upper part for engaging over a portion of the foot of a wearer, and a hollow receptacle carried by one of said parts and coacting with the part by which it is carried to maintain an engaged portion of the foot against said base part.

2. In an open-toe shoe having a base part extending for engagement under the toes of a foot, and having an upper including a part for extending over a forepart of the foot, the combination therewith of a hollow receptacle carried by one of said shoe parts and coacting with said part by which it is carried to maintain a forepart of the foot pressed against said base part of the shoe.

3. In an open-toe bare-foot sandal having a base part extending for engagement under the toes of a foot, and having an upper including a part for extending over a fore-part of the foot so as to leave the toes exposed, the combination therewith of a toe-nail polish receptacle mounted on one of said sandal parts for engaging above a fore-part of the foot and coacting with a said sandal part to maintain a fore-part of the foot pressed against said base part of the sandal.

ROY MALING. 

